TiredPretty pricey. Face buttons still feel jiggly and tall. No included rechargeable battery. Unlike newer Xbox controllers, it's missing Bluetooth—you'll need a wireless dongle (or a USB cable) to use with a PC. Heavier than the standard Xbox controller. User reviews say top bumpers are fragile so YMMV. Still hard to find in stock.

TiredPretty pricey. Face buttons still feel jiggly and tall. No included rechargeable battery. Unlike newer Xbox controllers, it's missing Bluetooth—you'll need a wireless dongle (or a USB cable) to use with a PC. Heavier than the standard Xbox controller. User reviews say top bumpers are fragile so YMMV. Still hard to find in stock.

There's a good reason why Microsoft's Xbox One controller has become a de facto standard among gamers. Featuring excellent Windows support and a near-ideal button and stick layout, this mighty gamepad does anything you'd want it to whether you're on a console or a computer. But, what if you want something a little nicer? In the past, that's when you'd have to reach for a third-party option.

Even though Razer has a top-notch gamepad in the Wolverine Ultimate and SCUF offers up the very customizable Infinity1, many contenders don't quite stack up to Microsoft's own wireless gamepad. If you want a wireless, high-quality controller for your Xbox or PC, there's basically only one option to consider—the first-party Xbox Elite Wireless Controller. It's a good thing that this gamepad delivers on its own hype.

It certainly seems like a risk putting $150 down on a game controller, but Microsoft puts your mind at ease as soon as you open up the box. This gamepad includes no fewer than 12 attachments, a USB cable, and a very nice clamshell carrying case. This is a first-class package.

Microsoft

Then there's the controller itself. If you can resist emitting some kind of audible "oooh" the first time you pick it up, then you're a stronger person than I am. The Elite has a little extra heft to it, and its super grippy rubberized hand holds make it feel like a completely different controller when compared with any version of the Xbox One wireless controller.

It's tough to find words to describe the buttery smoothness of this controller's thumbsticks. Between the satisfying thunk of hitting the circular surround and the subtle amount of extra springiness you can sense when the stick returns to the center, your thumbs will be in analog heaven as soon as you start playing. These sticks came in handy when I was digging into the online multiplayer Starfighter Assault mode on Star Wars: Battlefront II.

After hours of jamming these controls from side-to-side while fending off enemy ships, I feel confident the metal components will withstand the abuse over time better than the standard plastic ones. The six swappable sticks offer full customizability, with two standard-height concave sticks, two tall, and two tall with domed tops. The taller sticks felt awkward to me, so I stuck to the short ones, which felt more comfortable.

The D-pad also gets a big boost thanks to two metal attachments. Either keep the standard cross shape, or opt for the flat, faceted metal option which makes thumbing it in circles dead simple. If you want more control options, four slots for metal paddles are on the rear of the controller, with two different lengths available. I found them surprisingly useful, taking stress off my hands in some games.

The face buttons are basically the same as on a standard Xbox controller, and depending on your tastes, that's either great or disappointing. I'm in the latter camp—I've long felt that the ABXY buttons on the standard controllers were overly squishy and wiggly. It's something I think Razer got totally right with the Wolverine Ultimate, which featured marvelous-feeling short-throw letter buttons. On the Elite, they're fine, but given the significant attention the analog sticks received, upholding the face button status quo seems like a missed opportunity.

To be frank, sticking with standard AA batteries makes the controller feel a bit less premium. Although you could spring for an Xbox One Play and Charge kit and slot a rechargeable battery into the Elite, you'll only get alkaline AAs in the box. I roll my own with Eneloop rechargeables, but the higher price of the Elite controller seems like it should get you a rechargeable pack in the box. That would put the presentation over the top in my book.

The software here is top-notch. Remapping controls is easy, and you can even set two profiles and switch between them with a physical switch on the controller. Everything from the responsiveness curve of the sticks to the vibration and light brightness is tweakable.

So, even though it's not perfect, this wireless controller is the clear upgrade for most gamers. Even if you're semi-pro, the advantages you can gain from the Elite Wireless can be night-and-day compared to what you're using now. The controller is pricey, but its cost feels justified once you use it.